Episodes

In California, mental illness afflicts as many as 1 in 6 adults and 1 in 14 children. And yet, according to a new study, the state’s workforce of behavioral health providers could be in jeopardy. By the year 2028, California could have 41 percent fewer psychiatrists than it needs, and 11 percent fewer other providers like psychologists and licensed clinical social workers. The report, by the UC San Francisco Healthforce Center, shows the distribution of these providers is already uneven . In...

Last week we brought you an investigative story about a secretive building in downtown Fresno that’s being used to process individuals coming into custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE . There’s no sign on the building, its address is not listed on the agency’s website, and immigration attorneys are concerned about the detainees’ access to due process. Since running that story last week, we’ve received a lot of feedback— including from ICE itself . Listen to the interview...

Critics across the globe are starting to pay attention to the music of one young valley artist – Omar Nare. The Sanger native was recently profiled on Public Radio International and the New York Times for his fresh take on mariachi traditions. He’s taking traditional songs and re-inventing them with hints of jazz, soul and funk. It’s a cultural fusion which will be on display at Bitwise in downtown Fresno on Saturday. In an excerpt from a piece that originally aired on The GroundTruth...

A new project organized by fourth-generation Japanese Americans is seeking to preserve memories and create art. Called the Yonsei Memory Project, the effort is a project of Nikiko Masumoto and Brynn Saito. The two will hold events in Fresno on Saturday Febaury 17th and Monday February 19th, including memory tours and an event of poetry and art at the Fresno Assembly Center, the site where local Japanese Americans were processed before they were sent to concentration campus during the Second...

This winter has been an especially bad one for air quality in the San Joaquin Valley. With long stretches of high particulate matter pollution, (PM 2.5) staying informed with accurate info about air quality forecasts and current conditions is important for your health. We took at look at some popular apps for both iOS and Android devices that provide air quality information to the test. Valley Air: (official app of Valley Air District) Pros: Accurate information, includes both forecasts and...

For the first time since 2012 the state legislature is giving the California High-Speed Rail Authority a thorough audit. This comes just weeks after the agency’s top consultant revealed that the project’s Central Valley section is now nearly $3 billion over budget due to delays and additional design expenses. The audit comes at the request of Assemblymember Jim Patterson. The Fresno Republican has been one of the rail authority’s staunchest critics and he’s now asking state leaders to...

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra met with local officials from across the San Joaquin Valley in Fresno today. After addressing DACA and criminal justice reform, Becerra said that over the weekend he plans to meet with employers, like growers, to discuss what to expect from federal immigration authorities now that California is officially a sanctuary state. "I want to make sure employers understand what their rights are but also what their responsibilities are toward their...

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency is responding today to Valley Public Radio’s reporting about the agency’s presence and practices at a facility in downtown Fresno. In that report, we described an unmarked, under-the-radar Fresno facility that processes and detains individuals coming into ICE custody . We also reported that ICE had not responded to multiple opportunities to comment on the story before it was published. In response, an ICE representative has now confirmed...

The law enforcement agency Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, may be ramping up its inspections of worksites—and a Valley grower is one of the first to feel the consequences. Fowler-based Bee Sweet Citrus says it may have lost a fifth of its workforce in anticipation of an inspection by ICE. The federal agency notified Bee Sweet that later this month, it would conduct an I-9 inspection. Meaning the company will need to hand over the forms that verify the identity and employment...

We’ve been reporting a lot these last few weeks about PurpleAir , a new brand of low-cost, wifi-enabled air monitors that are enabling concerned citizens across the world to crowd-source air quality data. After speaking with public agencies, academics and advocacy groups about the promise of these devices, we were curious: Who created PurpleAir, and how did its product become so popular? Listen to the audio above for the full interview with PurpleAir’s founder Adrian Dybwad about why he...

Government buildings are usually pretty easy to spot, with big signs featuring their names and logos. Even agencies with some of the most sensitive information share their whereabouts. But in downtown Fresno, one government office flies so far under the radar that most who walk past would never know what’s behind its mirrored glass windows. The secretive nature of this office is drawing concern from immigration lawyers and advocates. The building is located on L. St. downtown. It looks...

By some measures, Stewart Resnick is the biggest farmer in California. His empire of almonds, pomegranates, pistachios and citrus covers over 120,000 acres in the San Joaquin Valley. Known today as The Wonderful Company, Resnick and his wife Lynda have grown their multi-billion dollar fortune on products like POM Wonderful pomegranate juice and Wonderful Halos mandarin oranges. And despite California’s drought, in recent years they’ve kept growing, thanks to shrewd management of their most...

When you hear about air pollution, you may think of vehicle emissions, industrial smokestacks and wood burning. But a new study reveals another major source right below your feet in the Central Valley. The pollutants in question are nitrogen oxides, a family of harmful gases known collectively as NOx . They’re precursors to ozone and particulate matter, which can lead to a litany of short and long-term health problems. The study, published today in the journal Science Advances , asserts...

This week on Valley Edition, we learn about plans from a Canadian company to mine for gold in Mariposa. We also talk about the local political impact of the "Nunes Memo" and learn why the Delta smelt had a bad year, despite the end to California's drought. Plus we talk with Madera DA candidate Sally Moreno and learn about a new exhibit in Kingsburg.

Tulare Republican Congressman Devin Nunes may be one of the most unlikely national political figures of the past year. The chair of the House Intelligence Committee was already in the news for his role in the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. Now with his controversial classified memo about alleged wrongdoing by FBI officials in a FISA warrant for Trump aide Carter Page, Nunes is back in the headlines. Is it a real scandal, as House Republicans have claimed? Or is...

The race for Madera County District Attorney is likely to be one of the more interesting local contests in 2018. It pits incumbent DA David Linn against challenger and current Fresno County prosecutor Sally Moreno. The race took on a new tone in late 2017 after allegations surfaced that Linn had made racist and sexist remarks on the job. Those allegations, which Linn denies, led to an investigation by an outside law firm at the request of the Board of Supervisors, which also voted...

This month marks the 170th anniversary of the discovery of gold at Sutter’s Mill. The legacy of the gold rush is ever-present in northern California, particularly in Mariposa County. It’s visible in mining museums, at roadside historical sites, and in county buildings on Bullion Street. What hasn’t persisted in this region is gold mining itself. But one Canadian company wants to change that. Sam Long works on a few thousand acres in the Mariposa County foothills. He doesn’t have to go far...

The 2016-2017 water year was one of the wettest on record in California. While all that water in the system was enough to officially end the state’s drought, its impact on endangered species is another story, especially when it comes to the Delta smelt. A survey conducted in October 2017 by state and federal agencies found only 2 of the fish, the lowest number on record. The low number even surprised one of the state’s leading experts on the fish, UC Davis professor emeritus Peter Moyle....

The Kingsburg Historical Society is hosting a new traveling exhibit on the Japanese American experience during the Second World War. The small farming community is known today for its Swedish heritage, but before the interment of citizens in domestic concentration camps during the war, it had a vibrant Japanese American community. The new exhibit, "Courage and Compassion: Our Shared Story of the Japanese American WWII Experience" is on a nationwide tour from the Go For Broke National...

Back in September, President Trump announced that the Obama-era DACA program would end in six months. Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals gave many immigrants who came to the U.S. as children the opportunity to pursue higher education and work in America. Congress is struggling to agree on a replacement, and DACA recipients have little to fall back. One such DACA recipient is Antonio Jauregui . Last year, Jauregui took a trip to the mecca of American politics, where he attended a march...

Duration:00:05:09

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